1 Samuel 8: 6-9 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
The Proverbs 31 Woman doesn't call any old man her husband. She has for herself a man who ALSO lives up to the Proverbs 31 standard!
Some Christians were spared any damage from the cyclone that was forecast to hit Australia last week. But other Christians weren't. So was it God's favour? His mercy? His judgement? Or maybe it wasn't any of that...
Women are often the ones accused as being seductive, tempting and flirtatious. And they can be. What troubles me when I'm with people discussing lust and temptation is that most of the conversation is about how women are responsible for the temptation men experience and indirectly labeled as the source of the men's lust. The conversation seldomly is about men. Men's power to resit. Men's power to surrender to purity and holiness. Men's ability to take every thought captive. Men's freedom from the carnal heart. The conversations, the Bible studies and the sermons are rarely ALL about men and the power of the Gospel.
I'm promoting all of yous to Saints- Redeemed by the Lamb! You've graduated from school of condemnation and darkness and are walking in the credentials of Jesus' glory and His righteousness! Don't leave the Good News on the bookshelf life. Pull out the Good news and claim it's promises and victory for yourself- EVERY.DAY.
2024 was a bit of a blur. Honestly, by the end of the year I felt so disappointed with the lack of direction and purpose I had. But hey- 2025 here we come!!
Church hurt is a things. But I think we need to use better vocabulary to label what we experienced and what we're trying to define.
As church members how do we show up for our local Pastor when they "fall from grace"? The heartbreaking reality is that if the way we support "fallen" church members is any gauge- then pick up your stone of preference and hold back on the grace. The Lentz's family story was a two edged sword for me. The betrayal and forgiveness this family has experienced and embraced, is much deeper than Carl's infidelity. The scars they'll carry are from more than cheating- it's also from rejection and abandonment from those they called family.
I'm not a fan of either Adele or Taylor. So this isn't a bias opinion on who is better. It's all more about making the Gospel simple, attainable and relatable. Let's keep offering milk until God grows people's faith so they can digest the solids.
I'm talking about the Olympic Opening ceremony but not the way you think I will.
The deer in Psalm 41:1 is out here panting and thirsty. What does that even mean and what practical lesson are we supposed to get from this deer?
I saw a worm on my walk this morning. It kind of explains why I haven't uploaded in so long...
Who's the "+ 1" in your marriage? YOUR NEW BABY! The next statement will SHOCK YOU! There's some scary parallels between your baby and infidelity! New parents, or parents to be, please listen to this episode, it may save your marriage and your family.
Grief and Loss isn't often associated with "parenting", unless its in relation to the death of a child. But just as much as there is to gain when becoming a first time parent, there is also lot of loss with the birth of a first child. But these conversations aren't always had among Christians. The dark clouds of parenting aren't always talked about and this leaves many new parents to weather the storms of change and the unknown on their own. I hope this episode gives you a sense of community in your suffering and in your loss. I hope that you realise that trying your best- is the best you can do.
They lost. But there's way more to sport than winning. A mistake that's often made in team sport is putting a lot of pressure on one or a handful of players to get the win. Experts, commentators and fans can fall into the trap of highlighting key players in a team. But this FIFA World Cup Australia learned that we to cheer on our entire team when we lost our star Striker, Sam Kerr to injury. Through the Matildas' journey this WC, I was reminded of similar mistakes we make in our churches. @pennyprojectsrs
Seeing a health professional when you're sick can be the most comforting thing you can do. While on our mission trip, I was often looking for our resident nurses and showing them my cuts and scratches, just so a professional could tell me I was- ok! Have you gone to Jesus, knowing you need healing? He's the best "professional" to go see and He always prescribes a generous dose of mercy, grace and forgiveness.
Some things, we don't get to choose. In Timor, I didn't get to choose how I showered. Where we stayed- a bucket and scoop IS classified a shower. But when I knew I could shower in a river- I knew I'd much rather abundance over convenience. What would you choose?
"Thus would I go on missions of mercy, Following Christ from day unto day, Cheering the faint and raising the fallen, Pointing the lost to Jesus, the Way. Going afar (going afar) Upon the mountain (upon the mountain) Bringing the wanderer back again, back again, Into the fold (into the fold) Of my Redeemer (of my Redeemer) Jesus the Lamb for sinners slain, for sinners slain" Just being lazy....didn't have time of a proper episode summary :) but let me tell you all about my family's mission trip to Timor Leste!!